Confronting Magic
by unperfectwolf
Summary: Het, Briar.Sandry . oneshot . For Kitty Katty's contest. Written long before The Circle Opens series came out.


This is for Kitty Katty's Sandry and Briar Fic contest!!! hehe. It's not to good, but hey!

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Briar let out a snort and shook his head. "No, Rosethorn, I do _not_ think that the tomatoes like Crane better. Why would they? He makes them grow _out_ of season."

Rosethorn nodded at her old pupil's words. "As it is."

"Duh," the sixteen-year-old boy said under his breath.

Rosethorn shot him a glance and then sighed. "Today off, then its back to weeding!" She grinned at Briar's groan. "And Tris's due back in a week, Daja's back, but at the forge, and Sandry- who knows with that girl?"

"I do!" came a reply, from a window of the cottage they were approaching. The pale-like face of Comas, the latest student Lark, the other Discipline dedicate, had taken on.

"What?" asked Briar, slightly perturbed at the other boy for eves dropping.

"She's with her Uncle, and they're all over. She'll stop by before long." Comas turned away and back to his weaving, in his ground floor room, which once had been Sandry's.

Briar smiled. His room was opposite and Tris and Daja had slept up stairs. Now Daja and Sandry shared a room- a most unusual couple considering that Traders and Nobles rarely mixed. That thought made the former Street Rat smile.

Once, almost five years ago, when all four of them were new to the Winding Circle, they had fought constantly. That had been the start of The Year of Disturbances- An earthquake, pirates, forest fires and a plague. The first, the earthquakes, had bound them together when, stuck under ground and about to be killed by rock and land, they had wound their power and magic together with the help of Sandry's spindle, and now they could even talk over distances to each other.

As the pair entered the house, Lark set upon them, first hugging her old companion, Rosethorn, and then Briar who hugged her back, almost sheepishly. "Hi Lark…"

"Rosethorn, Briar! It's so good to see you back!" Lark was all smiles.

"It's good to be back, Lark… Now, Briar get along to see Daja. Sandry will be here soon enough to greet you, or wonders _will_ never cease…" Rosethorn muttered about the four's magic an some sorts of telepathic bonds.

Briar grinned. Rosethorn knew him almost too well.

~*~

Daja grinned at her old friend as he entered the forge. "Hello kid," she called from where she was bent over a fire, her bare hands in it.

Briar grinned back, but kept his distance from the fire. No mater how their magic's mixed, he still hated getting to close to fire. He could see the magic that Daja worked with what appeared to be bronze or gold, the boy wasn't sure.

As soon as Daja had the metal to how she wanted it, she stepped back and laid it to cool, coming over to huge Briar. "Long time no see, weed-one!"

"Watch it, Trader!" he hugged her back, but stepped back, for she _was_ hot from standing in front of the fire for so long.

The trader girl smiled and then groaned when she heard Frostpine, the smith she had been training under, and still was, call her name. "Gotta git! See ya round!" She turned and disappeared, leaving Briar to wander.

~*~

When Briar returned to Discipline, after a short stop at the Hub, it had started to mist and lightly rain. "This is when we need Tris," he muttered and walked through the garden, smiling as he remembered missing it.

"Yes, this is when we miss Tris the most…" some one told him, her voice light and silvery.

Briar turned to face the most beautiful girl in the world, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, aka Sandry. With a smile of happiness, she walked over and hugged him, then looked up at him, for he now towered over her. "It's so good to have you all coming home!"

Briar hugged Sandry back and grinned down at her. "It's good to be back!" Briar almost shook his head- When had Sandy gotten so attractive?

She always has been, you ninny! a voice in his head told him. Over the last five years, he had become closer to Sandry than Daja or Tris. The problem was, he didn't know if she liked him back.

Sandry hugged Briar again, glad to actually see him- it had been almost a year with only letters. She stepped back and cocked her head, watching the dark haired boy in front of her. Maybe, she thought, maybe he understands…

Both the sixteen-year-old boy and the fifteen-year-old girl had the same feelings. Neither knew that. They could feel conflicting emotions in their friend, but that was it.

Briar cocked his head, looking at her. "What's wrong, Sandry?" She seemed to just be looking at him.

Sandry smiled faintly. "Nothings wrong! I'm glad your back…" She fell silent, thinking.

"Sandry… Seriously, what's wrong?" Briar was starting to get concerned.

"Nothing!" the girl turned and started away, mentally kicking herself for it.

Briar watched her go and sighed, mentally reaching out _Sandry? What's wrong? Really…_

Nothing, Briar… I'm fine. Really. I've got to go, I'll be back later, sometime next week, ok? she turned and waved before disappearing out the gate.

Ok Sandry… Briar watched her disappear and walked towards his and Rosethorn's work room.

~*~

Some days later, Briar was in the work room when Comas and two friends came in. "Hey, Briar, you have any idea when Lady Sandry's coming back here?" Comas asked the older boy.

"Nope. Why would I?" Briar looked over his shoulder from the basket of herbs he was sorting.

"'Cause you're so close with her, that metal mage and the weather witch." One of the boys had answered, not Comas.

Briar nodded. "Anyways, no, I don't."

"Could you ask her? Please?" Comas was starting to wine.

"No, I wont, because _I_ don't use my magic when _I_ have no need." Briar was grinning down at his basket.

Then he could her Lark's voice and a lower one. She was saying something about… The Duke! That meant Sandry was-

Sandry let out a glad cry. "Briar! You're here!"

Briar turned just in time to see her rush by the other three boys, totally ignoring them. He grinned and hugged her when she came to him, knowing that she was trying to forget the incident in the garden and looked down at her. "Hey meddle nose!" he called her by a name that him and the other two in their circle had affectionately started calling her for her tendency to meddle.

Sandry tried to glare up at him and tweaked his nose. "You know I _hate_ it when you call me that…" she was grinning again.

"Yeah, I know." Briar smiled back. "Glad you're here," he whispered to her. "Those three were getting on my case…"

Sandry laughed slightly. "Really, well I'm _not_ going to talk to them. Uncle said I have some time here to talk to _you_."

"Well in that case, come on…" he stepped back and took her hand, leading her past the boys and up the stairs. Sandry grinned. They were heading to a favorite spot of the four mages- the roof.

As they leaned back against the chimney, Sandry sighed. She wanted to say something, but figured she shouldn't. She liked this, just being with him, it felt so right…

Briar felt her sigh and put his arm around her, hugging her. "Something wrong?" He was worried and hoped this didn't turn out like the other day, in the garden.

"Yes, but…" she looked down at the trapdoor and then whispered to Briar. "We have listeners… Lets drop and go into the garden?"

Briar nodded and stood up, turning and helping her up as well. Sandry smiled at this. Five years ago she would have died laughing if someone had said that she would be helped up by _Briar_.

Briar dropped lightly to the low roof on the storage shed and helped her land lightly, and then both jumped to the ground.

Sandry looked behind them and smiled as they slipped into the maze of flowers and plants that only Briar and Rosethorn could ever find their way through it like they were walking along a road. She looked over at Briar and moved closer to him. The sun was low- that meant her Uncle, the Duke, would be staying for dinner and both her and Briar could miss it with out worry.

Briar smiled as Sandry moved closer and led her towards the back of the garden. There was bench out there, and the flowers were especially beautiful. When they reached it, Briar leaned against a poll that was made for the vines that were climbing it and anything else they could reach, and Sandry sat on the bench. She pulled her skirts over her knees and her knees to her chest, leaning her chin on them.

Briar watched her, his arms crossed on his chest, her dark eyes taking on a closed look. He sighed inwardly and wondered what was wrong. He wanted Sandry to be the happy, funny, Sandry he knew.

Sandry felt him sigh through their magic and looked up, her gaze questioning. _Briar? What's wrong? Your magic feels… different…_ she couldn't place the difference. She also didn't know that hers felt that way to Briar, and that it was closed feelings that they kept from one another that was doing it.

Briar shook his head. _Yours feels wrong too_. He looked up at Sandry and caught her gaze, smiling slightly. He cocked his head and looked at her, wishing that he had the courage to tell her how he felt.

Suddenly he had to. He just wanted to tell her, no matter what happened. "Sandry, I- I…" He bit his lip, then continued. "I…" he didn't get any farther.

Sandry cocked her head, and frowned. When her friend had started to talk, his magic had cleared and she had felt something from him, just like she felt for him. Sandry's eye widened and she smiled up at Briar. "You mean… Just like…" she murmured.

When she smiled, her magic cleared for Briar and his eyes widened, surprised that she had felt the same thing for him that he felt for her.

Sandry stood up, and Briar walked towards her, looking into her eyes. "Sandry?" he murmured and Sandry hugged him, burring her head in his shoulder. Briar hugged her back, his chin resting on the top of her head. He smiled to himself, glad that this was out in the open.

Sandry looked up at him, leaning out slightly, and smiled tentatively. Briar leaned down and lightly kissed her, hoping that she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Sandry closed her eyes and kissed him back. When he broke the kiss she smiled up at him, and he smiled back. Sandry leaned up and kissed him again, and this time it was longer.

Sandry smiled inwardly to herself. This was so nice not to be hiding these feelings. Briar was ignoring thoughts of everything else, and was just glade that she felt the same way.

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AN: I might write more... Maybe

Disclaimer: These guys are TP's. I might own the friends, but I don't know- they're kinda in the open right now.


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